Faith in the Stars Trilogy book 1: The First Four
by Crystal Silvera
Summary: The prequel to Destiny of Four! Spiritlight, Spiranos, Spirit-teller, and Spirit—they were the true founders of the Clans, the ones who had brought the five leaders together. But just how had they done it? How had three cats and a wolf come together do create the Clans? Now it's time to tell the story before a gathering of stars and fallen spirits. Disregards Dawn of the Clans.
1. Prologue

**Hai to everyone out there! If you're here because of this being the prequel of _Destiny of Four_, my gratefulness goes to you! If you're here just because this looked like an interesting Warriors fanfiction, welcome! 8D **

**This is part of a trilogy, which I plan on calling the Faith In the Stars Trilogy, and will be made up of (of course) three fanfictions: _The First Four_ (this), _Destiny of Four_, and _Strange Horizons_, which will come around later . . . _h__opefully_. . . . Oh dear. O.o  
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**Well, the reason I'm kind of concerned about _Strange Horizons_ is that I'm also working on redoing part of another trilogy, The Other World Trilogy **** (Deltora Quest series) **and a DQ crackfic that other Deltorans have asked me to continue. I'm also co-writing and making up allegiances for notes on this trilogy (which I won't post). So, um, I really have no idea of when the final fic of the Faith In the Stars Trilogy is coming along. Sorry to to all those who are really looking forward to it - I'm estimating maybe later this year, or next year? ^^0 And that's at the _earliest_ . . .  


**Disclaimer, Erin Hunter owns Warriors!  
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**Now, before my A/N gets any longer, read on and remember to R&R! :D  
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* * *

_Spiranos_

I lifted my head, gazing at the stars.

It was midnight. No other wolf in the Spirit pack was around, and few could care about what their most well-known starwolf did. I was gloriously reveled and yet horribly feared - I had brought the packs together, shaped their lives. But how I had done it, no one remembered - not even I. And I was especially unusual, for a wolf.

But not only that, I had helped create other groups. Clans. The wolves know now not to meddle with them . . .

Clans. Clans of cats, distant descendants of wolves, tigers, lions, leopards, and more. These Clans had inherited many different traits of the larger generation - and I had helped shape the Clans.

They believed they were originally like that, had always been that way. We let them think that, knowing the truth was far from the myth . . .

Spirit, Spirit-teller, Spiritlight, and I were the true founders. Yes, Thunder, Wind, River, Shadow, and Sky were the leaders that helped them through the hard first seasons - but we four were the _real_ ones who had realized these four Clans belonged together.

And now, looking above, I know the story of the First Four must be remembered.

Silently, I called to Spirit, Spiritlight, and Spirit-teller.

* * *

_Spirit_

We gathered the Spirit pack, StarClan, the Tribe of Endless Hunting, plus some honored guests . . . everyone we knew in the starry spirit world.

StarClan was still weak from their assistance in the War of the Wolves, so we did what we could to get them here without having to use their power stores.

It was dazzling, the effect of so many animal spirits. My eyes felt like they were going to burst, but I knew they were waiting.

Waiting for us to tell everything.

Fortunately for me, it was Spirit-teller who spoke first.

"During the War, it was necessary for us to reveal our powers for the next Four to take them on. But while we did that, it also brought up questions - how exactly did the Clans begin?"

Murmuring broke out across the bright shapes of StarClan. A few even glared at us four, at the same time muttering darkly to their neighbor.

I decided it was time to step forward. As I did, my eyes about died. But I still could speak, and my voice rang out clearly in the starry gathering:

"We know this is supposedly 'sacred' information, if you will. But we believe that it is time for the Clans to know the truth. The telling may take long days and nights, but if you are willing to stick with us, we will as well."

I glanced at Spirit-teller, Spiritlight, and Spiranos. All three were nodding in approval.

Spiranos stepped forward, standing next to me. The wolves of the Spirit pack immediately fell into respected silence, and StarClan and the Tribe did so soon after.

His voice was louder than mine, but had the same clarity. "We are doing this of our own free will. If you choose to leave, now is the time to do it - Tnemele is open and waiting, as long as you take a Spirit pack wolf with you. No one will object."

Several cats of the Tribe of Endless Hunting stood, as well as a few StarClan cats. They trotted away to where some Spirit pack wolves gathered, waiting to open the gateway to Tnemele. I noticed, with some slight surprise, that Wind, Thunder, River, Shadow, and Sky stayed where they were, watching us with keen, curious eyes -

For even they did not know how they had formed the Clans, exactly.

* * *

_Spirit of the Moon and Stars (Spirit-teller)_

We had not expected so many to stay. It may have made Spirit or Spiritlight nervous, but I never faltered when speaking to a large audience.

"I thank you. For staying." My words seemed to surprise a few of the cats and wolves gathered before us, as a low din rose. I flicked my tail, and silence fell once again. Well, not exactly.

"How do you claim to know how we made the Clans?"

It was Shadow's voice, accusing but genuinely confused and interested. Spiranos, Spiritlight, Spirit and I shared a glance. At last, it was Spiritlight who replied in a firm, truthful meow.

"We erased your memories after we had done it, you know. Well, some of them - we kept others and replaced the ones we had taken with fictitious ones. Otherwise you would have fought for eternity, battling each other for territory and power. You, in fact, had the deepest grudge against Wind."

The two founder she-cats looked at each other, alarm and confusion in their gaze. Then Wind asked, softly, "Why?"

We Four knew too well. We just didn't want to tell them.

"Not now, Wind. We will come to it," Spiranos replied haltingly, his eyes downcast.

Both Shadow and Wind narrowed their eyes, but said nothing and waited.

I knew it was time.

Time for the truth . . .

* * *

**So, what did you think of my little prologue? Leave a review and tell me what you think! 8D**

**Also, if you're confused - you have two choices. A) Stick with this story and wait for updates to explain everything. or B) Read _Destiny of Four_, the [completed] sequel to this. Either will explain most everything, except reading _Destiny of Four_ would probably be best.  
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**Another thing . . . I don't think I can get to the library soon enough. I seriously need _Secrets of the Clans_! O_o So, um, 'til then, I won't have any references to rely on. So, if I get anything wrong that was in any of the Warriors books, please leave a review and tell me! (That goes for Guests, too!) Please tell me if you'd rather wait for the next chapter and get a more accurate story, or if you'd rather have me update without the exact facts.  
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**Thanks once again, and . . . REVIEW! ;D  
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	2. One: Four Will Come

_Four will come and create new life. Four will come and unite five . . ._

Spiranos shook his head. The words had echoed in the back of his mind for so long now, and being a starwolf, it was important not to get distracted from his work. Especially now, his pack needed him—a mysterious plague was sweeping through all the wolf packs, deadly and swift.

"Are you fully awake, Spiranos?" He turned at the voice of Opis, the small, agile leader of the Sharpestclaw pack. Her amber eyes burned furiously into that of Spiranos—being sick had not stopped her from trying to help her pack through these tumulous times. "Yes, I am, although _you_ should not," Spiranos replied tersely. Opis sighed, but turned tail and left her starwolf alone.

Once Opis was gone, Spiranos turned once again to the Bones. They were the prophecy presenters of the wolves, and had not failed them yet.

_Even though your precious Bones did not tell you of the danger of the plague._ The voice struck Spiranos so strongly that he staggered, the venom in the tone destroying his faith momentarily. _No. Not now . . . we must keep our faith, especially now!_

He shut the voice from his mind with a will. Spiranos turned to the Bones—bones of the sacred creature sent by the Spirit pack, killed long ago by all six Founders of the packs working together. There were seven Bones in all, and each of the same snow-white buffalo. Every pack owned seven Bones of the animal, and they all used them for help. They gleamed in the moonlight, milky white and etched deeply with gnawed marks made by the first starwolves.

These marks predicted everything: The fall of the Death group . . . the strange visitors, and that they meant no harm . . . the discovery of the wolves' descendants, small creatures called cats. . . . But, strangely, they had predicted nothing about the mystery plague . . .

Spiranos took the Bones into his jaws, careful not to make any extra marks with his teeth. He padded silently to a large pool of water in a separate cave, the same still, silvery pool that the Sharpestclaw pack starwolves used each time to have the Bones guide them.

The way the ancient Bones floated to the surface determined the guidance offered. No spirit could directly interfere with fate, nor the lives of their descendants, but they could give them nudges onto the right path.

Spiranos dropped the Bones, all at once, into the edge of the pool. The smooth surface was briefly disfigured with splashes and ripples, but it took a while before the Bones surfaced again.

The first to come was the Bone that could symbolize life, a new hope, or a surprise—usually, it turned out to be life. Spiranos blinked. Life was exactly the opposite they were expecting in the pack with the strange sickness. The next was the Bone that was marked with the wolf symbol for strangers, something new, or a mission. At this Bone, Spiranos narrowed his eyes, hoping for the best but bracing himself for the worst.

And the following to surface was the Bone etched with the sign of the three wolf groups, the six packs. It also could mean peace, but Spiranos almost ignored it—that Bone came up often in their prophecies. But the next Bone was that of death, darkness, or a deep tragedy. Spiranos closed his eyes briefly, even though he had been preparing himself. But it floated up at the same time the Bone of the Spirit pack did, which was odd. That one hardly ever came up closer to last than first or second.

The last one reappeared: The Bone of support, allies, or magical objects (which also took Spiranos by surprise, seeing as this Bone usually just sank and had to be fished out). The final Bone stayed at the bottom, and Spiranos dipped his snout into the water and closed his jaws around it, carefully taking the Bone out.

The Bone that had not surfaced was the Bone of hidden threat, a plan gone awry, or fighting. Spiranos sighed in relief at that.

So. Life, a new hope, or a surprise. The first Bone always mattered most, the one that helped the Spirit pack express the future best. Spiranos could not think of what it meant, but at least it pointed towards a positive future.

He gathered the seven Bones and took them back to their storage place, a niche in the stone cave that belonged to the starwolf. The Sharpestclaw pack lived in the rocky terrain of caves, canyons, and tunnels, and used the stone to sharpen their claws for as long as they lived—the marks covered the one stone wall they used, the wall that was believed by them to be sacredly strengthening.

Spiranos closed his brilliant green eyes, wondering what the signs could mean.

* * *

Light peered around the corner of the alleyway carefully, her keen light amber eyes surveying the area carefully. The strays nowadays were so vicious, it was unbelievable. But they had a reason . . . the humans were destroying what little they had, and there was one stray dominating them all.

She silently trotted out of the dark alley that was her home for now. Light knew it wasn't safe to spend more than a moon or so in the same place—the others would find it then, and being an outcast, she was in even more danger from Oceana and her little friends.

Light narrowed her eyes to herself. _Oceana._ The name was never spoken aloud—now Oceana called herself Relic, for who knows what reason. Now, the strange she-cat was a threat to all of the street cats.

"Light, is that you?"

The faint gold she-cat jumped at her name, but then purred when she saw who it was. "Yeah, it's me. Come out already then, Shadow! I can see you, even if Relic never can!"

Shadow, hence the name, was amazing at hiding herself in the darkness that other objects provided. Her only flaw was the green eyes—they shone like beacons if you knew where to look, like Light did. And Shadow's long fur was a disadvantage as well—Light could often smell the black she-cat before she saw her.

"Not so loud!" Shadow hissed, her eyes glaring at Light. "Relic's looking for me, I'm sure of it! And so is that wretched she-cat Air, who's the only one who can sneak up on me!" Light only nodded. The situation with Relic and her followers, known as the Remnants, were getting worse by the day, and she could tell just by looking at Shadow— her midnight fur was matted, dirty, and smelled like human food (which was never a good sign, as Shadow was extremely proud of her abilities to survive without help of that). Her eyes were duller than usual, which startled Light—whatever happened, those eyes were usually bright and clear.

"So, how's it going with the operation and all?" Light asked quietly, scanning the surrounding area. Shadow's eyes darted around as well, checking to see that they were alone, and then replied, "Okay. Relic still isn't aware of what I'm doing, but I'm pretty sure Air suspects and started to tip her off. Air's too clever for her own good! I'll get her one day . . ." Light gulped. Shadow and Air were both insanely occupied in destroying each others' lives, so it was best to avoid that subject.

"Um, right. You're still sure Relic's going to attack the humans, right?" she asked quickly. Shadow regained her composure and nodded. "Yeah. Not good, but she's set on it. Me and the rest of the New Hope are gonna get out before they do though, so we'll be safe when the humans come after us."

Light sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you, Shadow? _Only when they join us do they know our true name. _When we're in public, we call ourselves the Resistors." Shadow smiled slightly and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I _know_, Light."

"Then act as if you do. Now, come on. We've got a new member, and he needs welcoming."

The two trotted off silently among the maze of streets that was their home—a home being invaded by Relic and her Remnants. Light sighed softly so that Shadow wouldn't hear._ Would there ever be an end to this hidden war?_

"Light! Shadow! About time you guys got here!"

Both Light and Shadow turned to face the brown tabby tomcat who was the main assistant for Light in the New Hope. "Hello, Opal. How's the new one coming along?" Light asked.

"All right. He wants to meet you, though, Light. And you, Shadow—he's heard of your abilities, apparently, though he won't tell me how. That can't be good news, if a random stranger knows about that." Opal's green and turquoise eyes flicked towards Shadow, who hissed playfully in reply. "That's all right. Come on, Shadow. Let's greet this stray and see if he's New Hope stuff," Light meowed, nodding at Opal to lead them to the newcomer.

Shadow leaped into the shadows of the walls, creeping along. _Maybe I'll surprise this newbie, just for fun,_ she thought. Then she blinked. _Opal hasn't even told us the newbie's name!_

"Hey, Opal." The brown tabby's ears flicked in acknowledgment of Shadow's call. "What's this one's name, eh? You haven't told us yet."

"He doesn't need to."

The group of three whirled around, hissing in alarm at the voice.

A soft purr sounded and a large tomcat with a pelt the color of autumn leaves stepped silently into the light, his amber mischievous eyes glinting.

"And who're _you_?" Shadow asked, refusing to admit her shock at how he'd slipped by without any of them noticing.

The tomcat smiled slightly and turned to the black she-cat. "Oh, but of course, Shadow. I'm the so-called new one." He paused, glancing at Shadow, who stared back with huge green eyes.

"I'm Thunder. And I believe you're with the New Hope, correct?"

* * *

**AAAAAAHHHHHHHH I AM SO SO SO SO _SOOO_ SORRY FOR THE LONG WAITING TIME! I got sick with the freaking flu, then I had to do all my makeup work, and _then_ I could hardly even use the computer, so on and so forth . . . I BLAME THE FLU EPIDEMIC. -Eye twitches* **

**Weeelll, anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please read and review!**

**Please!**

**Review!**

**Okay, I think you get the point now . . . but still, REVIEW!**


	3. Two: Dreams of Night

"Well." Light cleared her throat nervously, sensing the tension rising between Thunder and Shadow. "Seems like you're well informed, Thunder. And welcome to the New Hope, more commonly known as the Resistors, against Relic and the Remnants."

Thunder nodded, his eyes darkening slightly at the mention of the Remnants and Relic. "Yes, I am. Well informed enough to know that the attack being planned by the Remnants will force all of us strays here to become ferals."

Light, Shadow, and Opal all gave a start. The attack itself was classified information—and the fact that, if the Remnants did launch one upon the humans, they would have to rely on the wild, was hardly even known. Opal, being the calmest, replied first. "And how did you know that . . . _Thunder_?"

Thunder smiled slightly. "Oh, I've got my own resources. Connections, you can call them." He paused. "I support the New Hope because I'd rather start a new kind of life, and not staying in what will become a wreckage of nothing."

Light blinked. _Well, this cat is sure good with his words!_ "Um, thanks. But now, our main focuses are to stop the attack and to make some friends with a few ferals. There are some nicer ones who've been teaching us how to hunt properly and such." Thunder nodded. "Those are good focuses. What would you like for me to do, then?"

Light exchanged a look with Opal, and then Shadow. None of them offered any expressions of dislike, so she replied, "You can help with stopping the attack. I take it you're a good fighter?" The tomcat's large frame, wide shoulders, and huge white paws had indicated to her right away that he was strong.

Thunder nodded again. "Yes, I rather think I am. So when will this counterattack be launched?"

Opal stepped forward and said clearly, "Tonight. The Remnants are attacking tonight, at total black—midnight."

Light nodded, her eyes narrowed to slits and her expression grim. "Of course. In the dead of night, no moon, like the coward Relic really is. Gather the New Hope, and tell them it's time to launch Operation Nine."

* * *

_The forest stood, open and green, in front of him. Spirit lifted his head and opened his mouth, drinking in the scents that the nature offered. So different from the humans' place where he lived . . . _

_Without any hesitation, the dream Spirit sprang into the sunlit forest. Birds chirped above him, calling their joy out to the sky. Spirit picked up the sounds of scuttling forest animals through his ears and moved them around, listening intently. _

_None of these sounds he had ever heard, and he was about to enjoy them as much as he possibly could._

_But then his ears picked up something unusual. It was something about Spirit's size, creeping nearly silently through the forest. Wherever it passed, animals and sounds were still and silent. Spirit's eyes narrowed and he looked around him, searching._

_"Your future awaits here, one of the Four." The voice crept into his mind like leaves in the breeze, soft and rustling. The fur along Spirit's spine rose in alarm. "Who's there?!" he called out, satisfied to hear a snarl creep into his yowl._

_"No one, and everyone. We are memories, nothing but everything . . . memories who see what is to come. You will be one of the Four . . ."_

_Spirit decided to put an end to this blathering nonsense. He turned on his paw and fled the forest, still whispering:_

_"No one, and everyone . . . nothing but everything . . . no one, and everyone . . ."_

_Then the voice seemed to realize Spirit had left, and shrieked behind his fleeing figure:_

_"YOU ARE ONE OF THE FOUR!"_

"_Spirit!_ Hey, Spirit! Wake up, you're kicking me in your sleep."

Spirit opened one eye drowsily at Sunny, his sister. She flicked her tail impatiently. "Well, you _were_! What were you dreaming about now, the forest again?" Spirit rolled his eyes and sighed. "None of your business, Sunny."

But he _had_ been dreaming about the forest again. The forest that lay beyond the streets and walls, the forest that called to him by night in his sleep. And that _voice_, screaming, _"YOU ARE ONE OF THE FOUR!"_ Spirit shook his head. Dreams didn't matter. All that mattered was what happened while he was _awake_.

"I'm your _sister_, Spirit! I've got a right to—" Sunny was cut off by a human kit, who spotted her, squealed in delight, and picked her up. Spirit couldn't help but snort at the sight, and Sunny looked positively annoyed at the kit who clutched her, still jabbering away in the odd humans' language. "You've got no right while you're up _there_, Sun!" Spirit called up to her, then streaked across the room and into another one before the kit could realize he was gone. Behind Spirit, Sunny yowled for him to _get back here or he'd be dead meat!_

Spirit purred quietly to himself. This was the life—being cared for and loved by the humans. A life nothing like that of the strays he always saw outside, who haunted the streets and fought to survive. Spirit shuddered.

_And what's life like for those cats who escape and live in the forest?_ The thought pierced his mind, unbidden, and he blinked in surprise. Spirit had never thought that anything except, well, _forest_ animals lived in the forest, like the forest animals in his dreams. And sometimes humans, but certainly not _cats_. He shuddered. _Cats in the forest! I must be insane—the next thing I know, __dogs will fly!_

And then, without even realizing it, he found himself in front of the small door-flap that the humans kept nailed in their own door, so he and Sunny could go in and out. Spirit blinked, wondering how he'd gotten there, without even being _aware_ of it. Sudden ice gripped him. _What if something's controlling me? Like that voice in the dream. What if it _was_ real, and I shouldn't have left like that—  
_

"Spirit, what're you doing just _standing_ there?" Spirit jumped into the air, startled, and then realized it was only Day. Or Night, depending on how you knew her. Day's strange dark and light fur glimmered in the sun, making Spirit blink. Day was an unusual cat—her fur was of light hairs with darker ones threaded between, giving her the impression of being more . . . well, there wasn't quite a word for it.

"Well, _hellooooo_? Spirit? Earth to Spirit!" Spirit blinked again, then purred. "Sorry, Day. I was just—um—startled." Day smiled and nodded understandingly; she knew about her own odd color, after seeing herself in puddles or the humans' mirrors.

"So, Light told me to pick you up to help stop the Remnants' attack. Y'know, Relic's being the poison in the water _again_, like she always is. This plan's worse than the others she's made," commented Day, leaping down from the open window (_Dumb humans,_ she thought) and landed next to Spirit. "Well then, where's Sunny?"

Spirit smiled, despite himself. "She's in a bit of a _situation_. With a human kit." Day purred as well. "Ah, but of course. The one named Sara."

"Speaking of names . . ." Day turned her head to look at Spirit as they wandered towards where Sunny was held "captive" by the human kit. "Light told me to go by Roan around you guys now, since Air's managed to find out my real name's Day." Abruptly, she snarled and her ears flattened against her skull. "That little—that little _rat_! I just don't get how she's finding out everything we're keeping secret!"

_Air._ Spirit's eyes narrowed. Air, the right paw of Relic. She, like her leader, was clever, manipulative, and dirty. She was, in truth, like air itself—impossible to see, catch, or sense in any way. And yet everything relied on her, that Air, in a sense.

"All right then, Roan," Spirit replied, a false cheerfulness entering his mew. "Now let's get Sunny before she dies of annoyance." Roan purred as she imagined what Sunny would look like, up high in the kit's legs—no, _arms_, Roan corrected herself. Light had always mentioned the importance of getting terms correct and accurate.

"It's about time!" Spirit and Roan looked up at Sunny, curled up on a couch as Sara stroked her. "Since when did _you_ two become slowpokes?" Then, for good measure, Sunny added, "Making love back there?"

Both Spirit and Roan glared at the small gold she-cat, who was purring at her own genius joke. "Shut up, Sunny," Roan replied calmly, "Or would you like us to leave you here with Sara while we go and, using _your_ own words, 'make love'?"

Sunny half growled, but her eyes were alight with amusement. "Fine, fine, fine! Anything to get away from _these_ humans—they're the worst kind, making me stay in one place while they pet me! I'm not a _lapdog_!" The last part she directed at Sara, who only giggled at the "kitty"'s antics. Sunny sighed. "Well, hurry up then."

"Alrighty then, plan A," Roan meowed, stepping into the human kit's line of view. Spirit hid himself into the shadows of the couch and watched as Roan, most unlike herself, walked up to Sara and started purring and rubbing herself against her legs. Sara, startled by Roan's sudden appearance, only laughed and started playing with the new cat. As soon as her back was turned, Sunny shot a last glare at the human kit and leaped down next to Spirit.

Roan glanced at Spirit and he nodded, flicking his tail to the direction of the exit, the sign to leave. Roan suddenly bounded away from Sara, and the three of them shot off into the dusky streets to meet Light and the rest of the New Hope.

* * *

"Are we ready?" Relic asked, turning to Air.

The lithe brown she-cat nodded, her yellow eyes glinting maliciously. "Very. The Remnants have perfected their skills in sneaking into the humans' dens, and our claws and fangs are sharp as ever."

Relic smiled. The sun was setting, and soon, she would get her revenge. Her revenge on the creatures that had tossed her aside as an outcast.

_At last . . . at last! _Relic felt victory washing over her, soothing her troubled soul. _So what of it, my master? Is it good enough?_ she asked hesitantly.

_Excellent, Relic. Excellent job,_ purred a voice in her mind. Relic smiled, her electric blue eyes glowing in the darkness. _Thank you, master. Thank you._ She turned to Air, who watched with a—well, _air_—of casualty. "It's time. You take group one to the west side of the town. I'll take group two to the west."

Air nodded, her golden eyes glinting but with nothing compared to the beacon-like blue lights of her leader. "I will." She turned and started to leave, but Relic called, "Wait."

Air paused and turned back. "Yes?"

Relic smiled. "Good luck. Don't get killed by the humans."

For a moment, Air thought it was a joke. But something about Relic told her it was deadly serious. Air nodded. "Yes, of course."

In the dark of midnight, the attack of the Remnants began.

* * *

**Chapter two! :D Personally, I loved typing up this chapter. Very nice insight on Relic and her Remnants. And speaking of the Remnants, they have nothing to do with the actual series Remnants by K.A. Applegate. :P  
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**Also: I know the Clan cats began as feral cats. In the next few chapters, they'll—crud, I was about to give away my plot bunny! Well, just wait and see. Please. :3**

**My thanks to anyone who's reading this! 8D Special thanks to my reviewers as well: Cinderstar377, Copperfur, and GraymistofLeafClan!  
**

**Now . . . REVIEW! Or a Tigerstar in a tutu will appear in your nightmare—that's something you can't unsee, people! ;D**


	4. Three: Joy and Oceana

"New Hope!"

The mass of cats—one whole score of them, to be exact—looked up at Light. Her eyes shone through the darkness, alight with energy and determination.

"We've gathered here to stop the Remnants' attack on the humans—known to most of you as Operation Nine!"

There was no roar of approval, but the New Hope cats' eyes lit up at the mission's name.

"Opal will lead group one, and I will take group two. Divide!"

At the order, the thirty strays quickly split themselves into their groups, clustering around either Light or Opal.

Light felt pride rush within her. I _did this. _I _trained them, kept them alive and happy. And we _will _defeat Relic._

So why did she still feel that kernel of doubt? Light knew it was from Thunder's words: _the attack being planned by the Remnants will force all of us strays here to become ferals. _

Furiously, Light shoved it away. Now was_ not_ the time. "All right, New Hope! Let's show those Remnants what we're made of!" she called encouragingly.

A storm of yowling and cheers went up.

"Let's get them!" Light cried.

Silent as a shadow, the forces of the New Hope crept into the humans' town.

* * *

"Spiranos?"

He turned abruptly to face his pack's lithe leader Opis. "Yes?"

"What have the Bones told you?" she asked, padding to his side.

Quickly, Spiranos described what had happened.

Opis seemed surprised (as he was) that the Bone marked with a sun, the Bone of life, a new hope, or a surprise, had come up first. "Odd," she murmured, "Especially since we are now in the merciless grip of sickness."

Spiranos silently agreed, but he did not want to dampen a small new flame of hope that had sprung up inside him. Half of all six packs were down with the illness, and so far the Sharpestclaw pack had experienced ten casualties due to it.

Opis heaved a sigh. "Well, we will do what we can. Has there been any progress on discovering a cure?"

Spiranos shook his head. "None. I have worked with the other five starwolves, but we fear that the long cold this year has killed off what little herbs that have sprouted early."

Opis's amber eyes darkened. "This cold will be the death of us. A pup died last night because of the frost. And now . . . oh, Spirit pack help us!" she howled, sinking to the cave floor.

Sympathy for the leader flooded Spiranos. She was one of the youngest to take up the position, but she had no choice—all the other descendants of Yronous were dead from the plague, and Opis's pups were far too young. "Keep vigilance, Opis. We _will_ survive this, if we are truly the Sharpestclaw pack," Spiranos said encouragingly. Opis half smiled, but her amber eyes were no longer dark.

"I hope, Spiranos. I hope." She sighed again. "Now, were you not planning on visiting Arya?"

Spiranos nodded. "Arya came to me in a vision and said she had made a small discovery. All the other starwolves are paying a visit to her as well." Opis stood. "Very well. Go on, I will fetch Vixior to cover your position for now."

"Thank you, my leader." Spiranos turned and left the Sharpestclaw territory with dread and hope.

* * *

Shadow slowly crept along the dark foliage, avoiding the spots where light from the humans' dens would give her away. A group of Remnants were trying to get through the window, which was open just a crack. Shadow smirked—the cats' efforts were yielding poor results, including a case in which one fell and the rest tumbled down with it.

"This would be a nice place to counterattack. Looky, Air's over there watching," Shadow whispered. Opal nodded, then turned and made gestures with his ears and tail: _Selected three needed__._

Without making a sound, three New Hope trainees slunk forward to Opal's side. "Okay," he breathed, "See those poor excuses of strays, trying to get in through the window? Surround them, then use the explosion method, on my signal."

They disappeared into the darkness. Only Shadow was able to see them in the night, but soon their bright eyes turned to Opal like beacons. He raised his tail, then dropped it in a flash.

Yowling and screeching at the top of their voices, the four of the New Hope launched themselves on the Remnants. Air was the only one who immediately reacted, defending herself against one of their best fighters, a springy stray named Sky. The other Remnants were taken by surprise and the cats of the New Hope knocked them unconscious against the human den's wall.

"Let me take on Air!" Shadow hissed eagerly. "No, Shadow! We need you," Opal snarled, stepping in front of her green eyes. Shadow growled and watched Sky fight Air, who escaped right away. "Great, now Air's gone. Nice _going_, Sky. And you too, Opal!" She slunk off in a bad mood.

"Sky, what happened?" Opal asked. The grey and white tom shook his head. "I never stood a chance. What I need to do is drop on top of her, and she got some leverage out of my sideways attack. Air's a decent fighter—nicked my shoulder a couple times before she ran away."

Opal sighed. "Well then, continue the Operation!"

* * *

"Light! Light, I can see Relic!"

Light whirled around to face the silvery-haired New Hope fighter who'd spoken. "You're called River, right?" She tried to keep her shock under control. At last, she could finally face Relic . . .

River nodded impatiently. "That doesn't matter right now. What matters is that I know which den Relic's targeting with her group!" Light grinned. "Great job, River! C'mon, let's go!" she whispered, signalling with her tail for her group to follow.

The silver tomcat led Light to a particularly large human den. It shone brightly, light streaming from nearly every window and lighting up the frosty grass and shrubs around it, the entire thing twinkling like stars and killing Light's eyes. _Ugh, _why_ does it have to be winter?_

"They're over there." River flicked his tail, pointing at a skinny form of a cat stealthily moving towards the human den's door, edging along the outer wall. Light's eyes narrowed. "Excellent, River. You can lead the attack on the rest of her group—you'll need the numbers. Remember: the Remnants fight with no rules, and that means nor will we. Use _any_ means to stop them from attacking the humans. Understood?"

River nodded, his green eyes glinting.

"All right. Now go. I'll take on Relic myself—it's about time we had a little chat." River darted away and summoned the other nine cats with a sweep of his tail.

Light's green eyes were slits as she crept silently towards Relic. As she got up close, she noticed the finer details of her closest enemy—the sly, vixen-like bright blue eyes; the sleek and plump frame; but most of all the scars that crossed various parts of Relic's body, as if she'd fought a dog every day.

"Why hello, Relic," Light meowed. She grinned when Relic whirled around, her blazing blue eyes huge. _"Light!"_ she hissed, her lip curling. "Yeah. Fancy seeing you here, Rel."

Light quickly sprang aside as Relic launched herself at her, claws sinking deeply into the soil she'd stood at a moment before. Light tossed out the at-ease front, knowing it was time to fight.

"You went so wrong, Relic. So far from your path. Attacking the humans for what they did to you will do _nothing_," Light hissed. Relic growled, flattening her ears to her skull, her electric blue eyes flashing furiously. "Oh, they'll pay!" she screeched. "They'll pay for throwing me away like some scrap of trash, leaving me to whatever cruel things prowled the streets!"

"It will do nothing, Relic!" Light snarled. "Nothing but anger them more. Do you really want to test their patience? Do you really want to see what would happen if your little _Remnants_ attacked them? They're more powerful here, Relic! Powerful and clever!"

Relic refused to back down, but she made no move to harm Light. "I will make them pay equally!" she yowled, pacing. "Make them feel what I felt, spill the blood I lost! Their scars will forever remind them of my vengeance!"

_Okay, this is going _way _too far,_ Light thought. Relic had long gotten rid of her sanity, and this was the addled thing she had left behind. "No, they won't. The only thing that will happen is that we'll all turn into ferals—Oceana."

Relic gasped sharply as though Light had leaped at her. _"That is not my name!"_

"But it is, Oceana. The one given to you by the humans. _The ones w__ho actually cared._ Don't you understand? The only way for them to survive was letting you go. They left you to another human because they had _no choice_. They had no idea that the other owner would do what they did to you."

Relic snarled. "Oceana is another cat now, Light. She has gone. I am _Relic_, the relic of the war between the humans and the cats!" She bared her teeth. "And, if I don't remember correctly, you changed _your_ name too . . . Joy."

Light sighed impatiently. "For different matters, Oceana. Can you really see the others calling me _Joy_?" Relic snorted. "Oh, and can you really see the others calling _me_ Oceana?"

Quick as lightning, Relic leaped forward and clawed at Light's face. Light didn't see the attack coming, but leaped out of the way in time so that Relic's claws only scored deeply into her side, setting it on what felt like fire to the golden tabby.

Blood flowed freely from the wound, but Light remained standing. Relic's eyes glowed with triumph, having landed a move on Light at last. But before her eyes, the blood slowed and the claw marks started to close, until it was as if nothing had happened to Light.

_"What the?!"_ Relic screeched, her glowing blue eyes huge as robin eggs and alight with fury. _"What trickery is this, Light?!"_

"You see," mewed Light patiently, "I am destined to survive. Like the humans are. Let them go, Relic. You can't avenge your old damaged self this way - you're already too far down the path."

Relic growled deep in her throat and leaped forward again, this time sinking her teeth into Light's neck. Light didn't move, only blinked up at Relic. She purred softly as Relic hung on even as the wound started to heal itself. "Oh, Oceana. Don't you see? I'm being protected. I have a reason. _I must survive._ Think, my sister. Without the humans, what would we be?"

Light looked at Relic sadly. The small dyed red she-cat couldn't reply, as her teeth were still connected with Light's neck. "You're covering your true self up, Oceana. You keep changing the color of your fur, hoping no one will ever discover its true color. But I know what it is. I know that it's snow white, like you used to be: innocent, pure, and in the right. Now you're—this."

The wound closed and Relic's teeth popped out. She leaped back in the darkness, her luminous eyes still wide and staring at Light. "You're lying!" she snarled.

Light spared Relic/Oceana a pitying glance, then suddenly let out a weird, howling screech.

Shimmering brilliance gathered around her, a glowing starlight that filled the human's lawn, making Relic screech with pain as it became blinding. Light stood in the center of it, unconcerned and still gazing down at her sister with remorse.

"It was my fault, Oceana. I shouldn't have let us go there . . . but it was not my doing that you chose to gain vengeance this way. I'm sorry, but this can't go on anymore."

Furious, Relic opened her eyes, resisting her natural urge that was screaming, _STOP STARING AND SHUT YOUR EYES!_

"It won't, _Joy_," she growled, narrowing her electric blue eyes into slits at her sister, focusing on the star-dance around her.

Light blinked. The starlight was dimming, fading away into the night.

. . . No, not into the night. Light focused her line of sight and the breath caught in her throat as she realized what was happening.

The starlight was disappearing into _Relic's eyes_.

"You see!" jeered Relic, her lips a snarl of triumph, "You're not the only one with _powers_ around here, Light! I also have my own little abilities, and to drain all kinds of light is one of them!"

Light's own eyes widened. "Light" and "life" could be used, if somewhat roughly, exchangeably in language. _So that means . . . that means that she's the one they warned me about!_

Relic snatched at the chance of Light's hesitation and pounced again, bowling the golden she-cat onto her side. "You've lost, Joy," hissed Relic, her blue eyes gleaming even more brightly than usual—_Probably full of that starlight sent from the spirit cats,_ thought Light dully. But she had strength left, and if this was to be her last day . . . then might as well make the most of it.

"_No one_ has won till one of us dies!" snarled Light, summoning a burst of energy. The shining starlight suddenly flared around her again, and Relic leaped back, momentarily blinded and startled. Then the leader of the Remnants got her bearings back and focused her eyes on the light, and it slowly vanished once again.

"You're wasting your time, Joy," growled Relic, her eyes still narrowed, but with impatience this time. "You can't win against me. Admit it!"

"I'll admit _nothing_!" Light spat back, preparing to call forth the brilliance again.

_Stop, Light._

She did, confused but knowing by now that the voice was what helped her. "What?" asked Light softly. Relic glared at her. "One more word out of you and—" She struggled, trying to leap out and attack Light . . . but something held her back. Some strange force that didn't let her budge an inch.

_Light, listen closely. You must summon the New Hope— Quickly! The humans have noticed what you have been doing and they are preparing to get rid of you. You are right in that they are powerful here, and clever. They wish to exterminate all strays they see now. Your only hope is the forest beyond. Gather both the New Hope and the Remnants, and wait for the others to arrive. Together, you four will create new life._

Light jerked back and shook her head. "_Both_ the New Hope and the Remnants?! None of us can be in the same _street_ without trying to claw each other to death!" she hissed.

"What _is_ it with you today?!" snarled Relic, hearing no voice like Light did, but the strange force remained strong as ever.

_This night will change everything you have ever known, Light. _A small pause. _You are more powerful and important than you know. Follow the signs. Be of good spirit, and never give up. Create the five Clans. _

_"What?!"_ Light cried, shaking. What on earth was _that_ supposed to mean?!

_Oh, Light . . . do you not trust me?_

Light glanced around nervously and flicked her tail. "I still do, voice. I really do," she said quietly.

Relic growled. "Tell whatever's holding me back to let go!" she snarled, but it was only a halfhearted one. Relic felt herself weakening already, as if something was draining her energy . . .

_Then follow my directions. Gather all the strays, and remember—follow the signs, be of good spirit, and never give up. Create the five Clans. It will come to you in time._

Relic collapsed.

* * *

"New Hope! Remnants! _Everyone!_"

Spirit turned and looked at Roan, who froze beside him. Sunny bumped into them and started to protest until Roan smacked her tail over Sunny's mouth. "Shh!"

"I repeat: _Everyone, come to me!_" Light's yowl came again.

"Is she crazy?" asked Sunny through a mouthful of tail fur. Roan rolled her eyes and let her tail drop, replying, "She's smart. She wouldn't say that for nothing." Spirit glanced at her. "Then, uh, do we go?"

Roan sighed impatiently. _"Duh."_

Light continued her yowling, which helped the three New Hope cats locate her. Clusters of other strays, mainly New Hope cats and a few wary Remnants, gathered around her.

"What do you want from us, and where is Relic?" hissed a Remnant. Light glanced at the scrawny black tomcat who spoke and didn't answer. Another voice did for her—

"Relic's right here, Malice. You don't have to worry."

Relic/Oceana was still trapped by the inexplicable force. Her luminous blue eyes glared at Malice and then turned to Light. "Hurry up, Joy. And while you're at it, _let me go_."

Light shook her head. "I'm not the one holding you down, Oceana." She faced the other strays once again. Then her eyes narrowed.

"Opal, Shadow," called Light. The two cats padded up to her.

"Yes?"

Light hesitated, then said, "I see Air."

* * *

**Wow, long chapter! I just really enjoyed typing up that scene about Light/Joy facing off Relic/Oceana. 8D**

**My version of a sort-of-funny disclaimer:**

**Me: I totally own Warriors! I'm Erin Hunter! :D**

**Bluestar: Yeah, and the Dark Forest is nice and giving candy to their apprentices. Ooh, and it's raining flying hedgehogs tomorrow.  
**

**Me: You don't have to be so depressing! I was just _kidding_!**

**Bluestar: I stand by my argument. **

**Anyway, thanks to everyone who's stuck with me so far, especially to Cinderstar377, GraymistofLeafclan, and Dawnish the sister of Lilystar! 8D You guys are more appreciated than you possibly know! **

**Other readers: Please, please, _pleeeeeaaase_ review! StarClan, the Tribe of Endless Hunting, and even the Spirit pack sent me a prophecy that you will! **

**(You get the point . . . review!)**


	5. Four: Time Will Tell

Spiranos ran steadily, his emerald eyes slightly vacant as he thought, hardly aware of his paws racing over the cave floor.

The Celat Plague, as the wolves called it, was spreading uncontrollably. Nearly a fifth or a sixth of the wolf population had died from it, and half of the rest were down with the Celat. Spiranos mentally shook his head. _It is as if the Spirit pack has abandoned us and let evil filter into our packs . . . but I know the Spirit pack would never do that!_

He slowed down as he reached the exit. Blinding light reflected off the snow and the world seemed pure and white—as if covering up the fact that there was sickness that was destroying the wolves. Spiranos slowly walked into the snow, looking around cautiously, checking that no wolves were there. His visit to Arya was supposed to remain secret, but you could not be too careful.

Spiranos, satisfied that no one was around, looked up at the sun, his eyes narrowed. The sun was still in the east, so he turned towards it and started a loping trot used to cover long distance—not that Arya's pack was very far away.

"Spiranos!"

The Sharpestclaw starwolf turned sharply at the voice. A bark of amusement sounded behind him. "Do you still not recognize your old Darkwind pack friend, Spiranos?" asked Eurilor in false disappointment.

Spiranos laughed and fell in step beside the dark grey wolf. "No, Eurilor, of course not!" His tone became more serious and quiet as he asked the next question: "Eurilor, did you receive Arya's message?"

Eurilor tilted his head slightly, indicating a yes. "When she appeared to me, I thought it was the Celat Plague fooling my mind," he confessed. "But Arya has always been unique, so I trust her." Spiranos agreed silently—the packs were extremely protective of boundaries, so crossing into another pack's territory was almost unheard of. Starwolves did this rarely, and leaders hardly let them. Which was why this visit was secret.

They found themselves in the cliff territory of the Deathclaw pack soon after, hiding in the sparse woods that marked the beginning of their territory. Arya had told them to wait until the rest of her pack had gone back into their half-caves to escape the harsh light that the noon sun cast upon the snow, but right now they were still on the cliffs, going through everyday pack life.

"Where is Arya, anyway?" whispered Eurilor as he and Spiranos stood by an overhanging willow. Being of the Darkwind pack, part of the Element group, he was stranger to Claw group life—Spiranos, being of the Sharpestclaw pack, would at least have an idea.

"I cannot see her. She is probably inside her own herb half-cave," replied Spiranos. Eurilor sighed impatiently. "Very well then—"

He suddenly stopped short. "Something is approaching," he hissed. Spiranos pricked his ears, picking up a controlled crunch of paws in snow. "It is probably another starwolf," he suggested. Eurilor narrowed his eyes. "Or a guard wolf on patrol."

"Oh, you_ moosebrains_. It is me, Kystia!" an exasperated, quiet bark replied from behind. "And greetings to you as well, Kystia," answered Spiranos dryly. Eurilor merely rolled his eyes. "Is anywolf with you?" he asked instead.

Kystia glared at him before replying. "Yes—Feirox is with me."

Spiranos smiled slightly. Kystia and Feirox were close despite the fact that both were from very different packs. _In fact,_ Spiranos mused, _Feirox is probably the _only_ wolf who Kystia could talk to without being defensive and pricklier than a pine tree!_

"Why am I not surprised," muttered Eurilor, voicing Spiranos's thoughts. "Tell him to come here, then." Kystia narrowed her eyes but turned and shot off deeper into the woods. "So then, we are only waiting on Unoctus," said Spiranos lightly. "Yes. Unoctus," replied Eurilor.

Kystia soon emerged with Feirox, the two of them talking softly under their breath. When they caught Eurilor and Spiranos staring, they both glared at them in unison.

Spiranos rolled his eyes. They were really birds of a feather.

"Is Unoctus here yet?" asked Feirox in his smooth, melodious voice. "No, we are still waiting for him," replied Kystia, her tone once again closed and guarded.

"Not anymore," hissed Eurilor. "I can hear him. That wolf may be of the oh-so-stealthy Nightfang pack, but he is louder than a pup in the snow!" Spiranos glanced at Eurilor—he knew there was some sort of history between him and Unoctus, but he could not fathom what it was.

And true to Eurilor's word, the sleek black form of Unoctus emerged from between the willow branches. His dark amber eyes flicked towards the gathered starwolves in acknowledgement, but otherwise the wolf said nothing. The rest of them knew it was Unoctus's form of "Hello."

"Has Arya appeared yet?" he asked in his quiet, mysterious tone. "No, they apparently are still going about everyday things," replied Spiranos, sensing that no one else was going to speak to the Nightfang wolf. "Everyday for the Claw group anyhow, I assume," said Unoctus simply. Spiranos said nothing at that.

As the sun slid into noon position, the Deathclaw wolves slowly dispersed into their own caves. Behind the willow's branches, the starwolves shielded their own eyes from the sharp light, relying instead on their ears and nose to see if any Deathclaw wolves were still about. Eventually they decided it was safe and made their way down to the cliffs.

"You all came!" cried Arya, bounding towards them before they even got close to it. "Of course we did," answered Eurilor, amused. "Did you think we were going to ignore our most powerful starwolf?"

Arya shrugged, her pale green eyes shining. "Well, I thought your leaders would have tried to stop you, but then again I am not the most self-confident wolf around. But come quickly, we do not have much time." With that, she turned and raced back into her half-cave.

The other five starwolves followed suit, glancing around and checking for any sign of danger from other Deathclaw wolves. Arya's half-cave, luckily, was hidden and separate from the others and they could not be seen.

It was a large one, as the shelves and cracks that should have been stuffed with herbs were rather empty as it was winter. There was enough room for all of them to gather comfortably, and also enough space for Kystia to stay slightly separated from the other starwolves, as she was that way.

"So you called us, Arya. Now tell us about the 'breakthrough,' " said Feirox. Arya nodded and, carefully using her claws, took out a small leaf. It was shaped like a four-pointed star and was a dark purplish color, with faint silvery veins and stem. Spiranos glanced at it curiously—he had never seen that herb before.

"This is what the Spirit pack told me to be the cure to the Celat Plague," said Arya quietly, gazing at the leaf. "They told me it is not a naturally occurring herb—rather, it is of magic and only grows in certain places that have been locations where certain things have been done. It is called starglimmer, and is extremely rare because of being a result of magic."

Spiranos felt a flicker of hope. If this starglimmer was magic, then it could have a chance at overcoming the Celat Plague. He could see that the other starwolves were thinking along the same lines, judging by their hopeful and surprised expressions.

Arya sat back on her haunches. "There is a catch, however," she said reluctantly. "Starglimmer is rare, as I said earlier, but it only grows on ground where magic has been performed. Magic related to the Spirit pack."

Eurilor's ears twitched. "Well, is not all magic performed related to the Spirit pack, Arya?"

The gold-brown she-wolf shrugged. "Not always, as they told me." She sighed and looked around her bare cave. "I feel so useless to my pack," she confessed. "They always come to me, begging for help, and all I can offer is that I wait upon signs from the Spirit pack. And all I do is put them in quarantine and take care of them as best I can."

Kystia stepped forward and gently nudged Arya with her nose. "Do not be miserable, Arya," she said softly. "It is all _we_ can do, as well. Just because you are so powerful does not mean you can do everything."

Arya sighed. "What use are my powers when wolves are dying all around me? And I have asked the Spirit pack where starglimmer grows. I have received no answer."

Spiranos stood. "I received a message from the Spirit pack," he said quietly. All the starwolves' eyes turned to him, curious and hopeful. "They told me to seek out our 'lesser descendants,' but I do not know what they mean."

Now that it was out, Spiranos felt lightened. He had kept the message to himself, even secret from Opis. There was more to it, of course—but he did not tell them.

" 'Lesser descendants'? Well, I have an idea," said Feirox hesitantly. Now the starwolves' attention was trained on him. "What is it?" Kystia, of course.

"Do you remember the cats?" asked Feirox. All of them nodded, even young Arya - many stories were told among the wolves about the felines. "They are descendants of wolves, of a kind. And they are smaller—which is probably what 'lesser' means."

"But where are the cats?" asked Unoctus, startling the starwolves with his voice. "Where do they reside? For if they hold the key to curing the Celat Plague, then we must find them."

Silence greeted his words.

At last, Arya spoke: "We must be patient, ever patient. The Spirit pack will not abandon us, ever." The other starwolves nodded. "So will we meet again to discuss the starglimmer?" asked Eurilor. Arya's pale green eyes became an intense, bright white-silver—the sign that the Spirit pack was now choosing to speak directly through her.

"You will see. Time will tell." The deep, powerful voice of the Spirit pack seemed to make the stone floor beneath the starwolves' paws vibrate. Slowly the starlight left Arya's eyes and they once again became the light green they were.

"Time," muttered Spiranos. "One thing we cannot afford to waste." The others nodded in agreement. Arya sighed and said, "I will let you know through your dreams when the time comes. The Spirit pack has their own ways, no matter how frustrating they may be."

And under the blinding light of sunbeams on snow, the starwolves left for their packs with heavy hearts.

* * *

"Air? Where?!" snarled Shadow. "I can't wait to get my claws on that vixen of a—"

"Shadow, can it," snapped Opal, turning to the black she-cat. "Now is _not_ the time! Or are you too concerned with your history than the present?"

Shadow hissed and laid her ears back, but said nothing.

Light nodded approval at Opal. "Well said, Opal. Now we need unity more than ever." Silently she tried to call to the voice, and slowly it came:

_To form the Clans you must erase memory, all memory of hate and dispute. Since this is such a dire situation, I myself will replace them with better ones—new memories that will help you help them move forward. Your powers are your own, and since you are the first, I will train you._

And then before Light appeared a shimmering wolf of silvery starlight, its paws wreathed in darker silver fire. Clever, pale amber eyes that mirrored Light's own peered at her, and the starry wolf cocked its head and spoke:

"It feels good to walk again. But first . . . I am of the Spirit pack and I will help you create the Clans. They call me Starfire Ignistella, First Wolf. And now, the memories." Starfire turned towards the cats below her as she hovered on the roof that Light was perched.

All of the New Hope and even most of the Remnants gasped at the sight of the First Wolf. Starfire, as ferocious and powerful as she seemed with her starlight and fire, had a serene aura about her and it calmed the strays.

"I am Starfire Ignistella, First Wolf, and I am here tonight to turn you cats all into loyal, noble warriors of the wild."

Silence. Starfire nodded, satisfied, and then motioned with her tail for Light to come forward. Light did so, feeling at peace and proud.

"Light here has been my greatest help, the only way I could summon you all. None of you belong with the humans—you are all more wild than most cats and it will serve you well. Warriors of the Clans you are, and warriors of the Clans I will make you!"

Relic stared at the wolf. _That thing__'s gone mad. Warriors? Clans? What crazy nonsense is that? _"How?" she challenged, and Starfire turned towards the she-cat.

"Ah, Oceana . . . or Relic as you know her." Light blinked. _Is it just me, or does Starfire sound . . . _sad_? _"You are the only obstacle that bars my way, and these cats' future. I do not want to, but you cannot stay."

Relic stared, her electric blue eyes huge. "_What_ did you just say?!" she hissed, trying to stand, but whatever held her in place was still strong.

Starfire Ignistella continued, unfazed. "You have been guided by a spirit as well, just like Light has been. But you have been guided by Darkforest Tenebrilva, the second wolf." Starfire's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Darkforest also happens to be my brother."

Relic nearly fell over, but the thing holding her down prevented her from doing so. _How—how did she know Darkforest was speaking to me?! _But she said nothing. Long experience in the streets had taught her never to speak unless it was needed. Suddenly she felt herself growing weak, and breath was hard to reach. . . . But the others' attention turned back to Starfire.

The First Wolf glanced up at the dark, clouded sky, her expression sad. "Tonight is the night of the Clans' beginning, and StarClan will show you the way. But tonight is also the end of this long-drawn hate . . . and myself and Darkforest. A beginning, and an ending." At her words, the silver fire around her paws faded and became a slight mist that only Light could see, being so close.

"But before I leave you, here are my last words: Have all faith in StarClan and always beware the Dark Forest. Be ever vigilant, honor the code and the spirits, and find the courage to rise above darkness and cast it in light." Starfire turned back to Light. "No one here must die besides me, Darkforest . . . and Oceana."

Light nearly fell off the roof but kept her footing by some unknown magic. "What?" she finally gasped, recovering from the shock. The Remnants hissed, and then there was a cry: _"Relic!"_

It was Air, Relic's favorite Remnant and her right paw. The Remnants suddenly screeched rushed forward, drawn by shock and fury. But Light could see clearly what it was that they were leaping towards.

Starfire sighed softly. "Of course, no one noticed she had already become the first wretched spirit of the Dark Forest."

* * *

**Suspense! :D And yes, Oceana/Relic just died and became the first cat of the Dark Forest and no one even noticed until Starfire said so. Stinks, but I wanted her to become the first Dark Forest spirit.  
**

**Also, a little extra fact: "Ignistella," the second part of Starfire's name, is based off "ignis stella," which means "fire star" in Latin (thanks to Google Translate!). "Tenebrilva," the second part of Darkforest's name, also comes from Latin: "tenebres silva" means "dark forest." New wrinkle in your noggin there ;D**

**Remember to review . . . or be misled by Darkforest Tenebrilva! XP  
**


	6. Five: Light of the Spirits

_"The what?"  
_

"The Dark Forest, Light. You should have known—no, we should have told you—that if I, a spirit of the stars, exist to lead you, then of course another spirit of darker intents lives on to _mis_lead." Starfire sounded sad but not regretful.

"What have you done to her?!" screeched Air, bristling in outrage and shock beneath Starfire and Light. Starfire sighed and her silvery aura seemed to fade slightly. "Nothing. She had to leave of her own accord. I have never been able to master fate no matter how I try."

Then the she-wolf turned to Light, a new steely glimmer in her eye. "I must leave now. The rest is up to you, Light. Remember, for this will guide your path: _Follow the signs. Be of good spirit, and never give up. Create the five Clans. _Am I understood, Light of the Spirits?"

Light swallowed. "Yes, Starfire Ignistella." She paused, hesitant, then asked, "But what is 'Light of the Spirits' supposed to mean?"

Starfire smiled faintly. "Your new name, Light of the Spirits. . . . Or, as you will be known as soon enough: Spiritlight. May your path be ever straight and guided by stars."

The First Wolf vanished into the night.

_Spiritlight. _Light blinked, then braced herself as she heard some cat padding up to her on the roof.

"Don't worry, Light. It's me." She heard Opal's voice from behind her and sighed with relief. "Yes, Opal?"

Opal nodded at the seething mass of cats below. "It's time, I think. We can't do anything if we continue to fight." Light, too, turned to look at the New Hope and Remnants. "I agree, but . . . how?"

Something glimmered in Opal's eyes—starlight, maybe. "You heard Starfire. You're the one with the power, and she'll guide you. Be patient." Light knew he was right and stepped forward.

Both she and Opal gasped as sudden, ethereal light spread around her, surrounding Light with warm, swirling, misty starlight. Shadow's green eyes widened and darted to Opal, who was still staring at Light.

In fact, _all_ of the cats were staring at the golden leader of the New Hope.

To Light, though, the strange starlight brought her into a forest that seemed vaguely familiar. She tried to place a paw on it, then realized, _It's the forest to the south that the humans go to play . . ._

"Spiritlight."

Light turned and saw Starfire, glowing even more brightly in the dark nighttime forest. "Yes, Starfire?"

"Listen closely." Starfire paused, glancing around her. "We have little time. What you must do is guide your power to unite five Clans under five leaders—Shadow of ShadowClan first." Light blinked. _Well, at least she seems fit to be leader._ "Who else?" she asked.

"Your three members of the New Hope—Thunder, River, and Sky—must also become leaders of ThunderClan, RiverClan, and SkyClan." Light nodded. "And the last one?"

Starfire's eyes narrowed and bored into Light's, green into green. "Promise you will not oppose my decision," growled Starfire.

Confused, Light nodded. "I won't." _I _can't_, actually,_ she thought.

Starfire was not satisfied. _"Give me your word of honor and life!"_

Light flinched, shocked by the intensity of the First Wolf's words and snarl. "I—I give you my word of honor and life," she said shakily. Satisfied, Starfire nodded. "Good." She halted and eyed Light's expression calmly.

"The fifth leader is to be Air, leader of WindClan."

* * *

"Well? Is there any hope?"

Spiranos winced at Opis's choice of words. Normally the lithe leader may have asked something along the lines of "how was the meeting" but . . . this was new.

"I—and the other starwolves—believe so," replied Spiranos guardedly. Opis nodded, satisfied. "Excellent. We may defy nature's will yet." She paused thoughtfully. "How fares Arya?"

Spiranos's ear twitched and he shrugged. "Oh, quite well. She handles the burden of her powers extraordinarily and responsibly. The Spirit pack chose wisely." Opis nodded again and her yellow-gold tail lashed as she left the starwolf's cave, her claws clicking softly on the stone.

As soon as she left, Spiranos trotted to the adjacent cave to his where he had relocated the plagued wolves. As usual, they were all in a half sleep, moaning raggedly every now and then and turning on their sides. Spiranos sighed. _I hope the starglimmer will heal this suffering. . . . Oh Spirit pack, we are at your mercy!_ Dismayed, the starwolf turned around and headed for yet another cave.

This cavern was one of water, with one giant pool filling its heart, where there was a depression in the stone. At the top of the cave, in the center of the ceiling, was a worn, smooth hole that let in the moonlight. The glow lit the water that was clear as ever, undisturbed and unnatural, the work of the Spirit pack. Spiranos stood at its edge, letting the cool water slightly touch his paws. Then he inched closer, trying to see his reflection.

Once he was able to see a silvery wolf staring right back at him, Spiranos intoned, "Spirit pack of stars, home of the fallen and defender of the weak—of wolf and of spirit, allow for me to speak!"

The surface shimmered and lit up all around with beaming starlight, but Spiranos's reflection remained untouched. As the glow of the light faded, wavering forms of ranks of starry wolves surrounded Spiranos's image, all of the Spirit pack.

"You wished to speak, starwolf?" asked one small, light wolf, his claws glowing even among the stars: Yronous, founder of the Sharpestclaw pack. Spiranos dipped his head at the Founder in respect, knowing he was far below him in being.

"I have called upon you to ask about the matter of the herb starglimmer," said Spiranos, lifting his head. Yronous's eyes narrowed and he turned, facing other Spirit pack wolves as a low rumble of murmuring broke out. "Well?" asked the Founder.

Another wolf stepped forward—Spiranos recognized her as Shadowydanger, Founder of the Deathclaw pack, as her claws were perpetually stained with the blood from killing the creature that supplied the sacred Bones.

"Starglimmer, as Arya told you, only thrives where magic has been performed. These places are rare as magic diminishes from this world while more and more creatures turn to more practical beliefs." Shadowydanger paused, surveying Spiranos carefully. "The following information I give you must be guarded carefully, starwolf, for starglimmer can be used for darkness as well."

Spiranos nodded, humbled that Shadowydanger—and the rest of the Spirit pack—trusted him so. "I understand."

Shadowydanger tilted her head up proudly. "Give us your word of honor and life."

"I give you my word of honor and life."

"Excellent." Shadowydanger approached his reflection. "Listen carefully.

"Starglimmer is, theoretically speaking, exactly what its name implies: It is the glimmer of the stars, the leftover hints of magic. The plants' power reflects the strength of the magic performed where it has chosen to grow, and depending on that power can be used for many purposes. Starglimmer, however, being so powerful, can be used to achieve darker means as well. In being so rare, starglimmer has been prevented from excessively used to destroy or injure. Starglimmer—"

Shadowydanger stopped as Spiranos raised his tail. "Yes, starwolf?"

"I wish to ask . . . how can the starglimmer be used to cure the Celat Plague?"

Shadowydanger glanced at Yronous again, asking permission. When he inclined his head slightly, she turned back to Spiranos and replied swiftly, "We do not know."

Spiranos's green eyes widened in shock. "_What?_ You tell us to find a magical plant whose use to us you do not know how—" He cut himself off, remembering who he was speaking to.

Shadowydanger's ears and tail twitched in amusement. "I understand, Spiranos. But starglimmer, like many things in this world, is a mystery to us still and we have no time to probe in its secrets. Although now . . . now we have begun to, but our investigations have yet to give us new information."

Spiranos felt himself sagging with disappointment. He had relied upon the Spirit pack to tell him some things of use about the starglimmer, but now it seemed hopeless.

"We apologize, Spiranos Sharpestclaw. But this is one journey you must attempt on your own. May your path be straight and ever lit by stars . . ."

And slowly, the images of the Spirit pack faded away until the water was still and clear once more.

Spiranos heaved a sigh and turned away, padding slowly out of the cavern. And then there was a sharp call:

_"Wait!"_

He turned around swiftly, his claws at the ready and sharp as ever. "Who is there?"

"I, Yronous. We have one last message for you . . ." Eagerly, Spiranos raced back to the edge of the pool. "Yes?"

"The message we sent you through the Bones—what do you believe it is?"

Spiranos tilted his head slightly, thinking. "Well . . . I think the magical object must be starglimmer. And I am quite certain that a select group must embark on a quest or mission, possibly with strangers. There is some sort of surprise in store for us, the packs. The Spirit pack is greatly involved. There will be death. And we will have allies and support."

Yronous nodded, his starry eyes satisfied. "Excellent, starwolf. I have come to deliver the message more directly: You—and you _alone_—must leave the packs and find your lesser descendants. Starglimmer will be found through them, and strangers of darkness will descend upon the packs while you are gone. However, their being here will stop the Celat Plague . . . temporarily. Death will be all around, certainly. Allies will come from the descendants."

The Founder paused. "Also, there is more. Do you remember my words? _Four will come and create new life. Four will come and unite five._"

Spiranos felt an involuntary shudder pass through his bones. He had forgotten about the phrases briefly, as the Celat had taken his mind from it and so had Arya's words. "Yes."

"You are one of the Four."

The simple words seemed powerful in the cave, vibrating from the walls, so that it seemed as though multiple Yronouses were saying the same words: _"You are one of the Four."_ Spiranos shivered again, his ears laying back slightly in fear and backing away a bit.

"You will find the other three, and together you must mend all that has gone wrong." Yronous stared sternly at Spiranos from the water. "You must succeed, Spiranos, or the world of wolves will fall into eternal darkness." Then the Founder faded away, leaving Spiranos tense, confused, and scared.

* * *

"What's happening to Light?" hissed Spirit. Both Roan and Sunny shook their heads, as baffled as he was. "She's acting as if she's in another world," murmured Roan.

Watching the pale gold leader, Spirit realized Roan's words held truth. Light's faint amber eyes were distant and she seemed so relaxed—even if no part of her body moved at all.

"Yeah, that or she's pretending," snapped Sunny. She padded boldly up to Light and prodded her side with a paw, asking, "Hellooooo? Light?"

Light didn't even twitch.

Sunny cocked her head to the side and batted the leader with her tail. "Light! Earth to Light!" she practically yowled. Spirit winced.

Shaking her head, Sunny jumped back to her brother's side. "_Nada. _She's definitely not pretending." Roan sighed. "Duh. Why would she?"

Then suddenly, Light seemed to snap out of her mystic trance, leaping high into the air and then staring all around her, wide-eyed. Spirit stared, too—what had just happened?

"All cats, hear me!" cried Light just as suddenly, her yowl seeming to fill the whole alley and exploding from her small figure. The strays gathered there swiveled their heads around, shocked and surprised.

"We must begin a new life—if you listen closely, you can hear the humans beginning to rally against us." Light fell silent, allowing all the cats to strain their hearing, searching for the sounds she spoke of. And indeed, angry human voices and the alarmed yowls of other strays filled their ears—although the sounds were closer than they'd thought they would be. Spirit narrowed his eyes, silently agreeing with Light.

"Where can we go? We can't stay here," snarled Air. Her back was still arched defiantly, but everyone could see that in her eyes she knew Light's words held all truth.

"We'll go to the forest. There, the rest can be said."

* * *

**A/N: AAAHHHH! -Wants to tear hair out* Sorry sorry sorry sorry! I know I'm a horrible person for not updating! O3o  
**

**My reasons (hah, I won't deny it, they're excuses): Limited computer use, homework, three projects, procrastination, confusion, and lack of notes for Destiny of Four. Oh, and did I mention homework?  
**

**About the notes: I kept written notes for Destiny of Four but was too lazy to copy them in typed form on my Google Documents/Drive . . . which resulted in a lot of confusion. D: This is why, writers, you must keep notes for your stories!**

**Okay now review please! :D**


	7. Six: Try and Try and Try Again

The silence was going to kill Light.

It was far too quiet. . . . Even though it wasn't true quiet, as the air was laced with tension, mistrust, apprehension, confusion, fear, and all other feelings that seemed to make the forest crackle with barely controlled lightning that would be unleashed at one slight disruption.

Light swung her head around nervously to check on the cats padding behind her for the millionth time. Opal, walking next to her, nudged the New Hope leader with his tail. "You don't need to do that every five heartbeats. It's going to scare them," he whispered. Light snorted quietly. "After what happened earlier? As _if_."

Shadow surged forward, a furious glint in her green eyes. "Well, Light, I think it's time you told us a few things. Like what exactly this 'new life' is and how all of us'll ever live together," she snarled. Light shook her head. "Fine. If you want it so badly, then I guess I'll explain it to everyone."

They stopped at a clearing where there was a large boulder that made it easy for Light to leap up on it and speak to the others where they could all see and hear her.

"Listen, everyone!" Light's voice spread across the clearing in the silence.

"We are here tonight because we will be the end of our old life and the beginning of a new one, the rise of the sun in a new day. We can't remain hating each other forever for what's already happened and cannot be changed . . . and so we will divide ourselves into five groups and live in harmony that way."

Light watched reactions carefully. All the cats seemed dejected, surprised, angry, or accepting. She sighed quietly to herself. _Starfire, it'd be great if you could help me right now!_

_I will always help you, Light of the Spirits. _And with that said, the silver starlight wolf appeared once again beside Light.

"Five must come forth," said Starfire, her voice loud and strong. The cats seemed nervous at her appearance—_Maybe some of them still associate her with Oceana's death,_ thought Light sadly.

"Which five?" yowled Shadow impatiently.

"To begin with, _you_." Shadow blinked, looking surprised, then bounded up to the boulder, standing next to Starfire. "Thunder. Sky. River. And . . ." Starfire paused, carefully surveying the strays below her. "And Air."

When all five stood in front of Starfire, the First Wolf nodded and dipped her head at them, then lifted it to howl at the starry heavens:

"I, Starfire Ignistella, First Wolf of the Spirits and Stars, call upon all spirits amongst the stars to look down upon these warriors. Their skills have been honed and sharpened upon their struggle for life and what is right and their minds swift and able, their intentions ever noble, and I commend them as leaders in their turn."

She turned back to them, her eyes ablaze with newly lit fire. "Remember, Shadowstar, Thunderstar, Skystar, Riverstar, and Windstar: What you decide now will alter the fates of those around you forever." Starfire paused, then cried, "Shadowstar, leader of ShadowClan! Do you swear, bound by your word of honor and life, that you will guide your ShadowClan as far, long, and well as you are able and never lose faith?"

Shadowstar hesitated, her green eyes huge but brighter than ever. "Yes, Starfire Ignistella. I swear."

"Thunderstar, leader of ThunderClan!" The huge tom nodded eagerly. "Yes. I swear!"

"Skystar, leader of SkyClan!" This time, there was an even longer pause as the gray-and-white cat tried to decide. Then, "Yes. I swear."

"Riverstar, leader of RiverClan!" The silver long-haired tom wasted no time at all: "Yes, I swear!"

"And lastly, but certainly not least . . ." Starfire turned to Air—no, _Windstar_—with grave eyes. "Windstar, leader of WindClan!"

The thin brown she-cat stared, frozen by fear and indecision. Light could see her train of thought, almost as clear as though it was her own:

_If I become leader, I will have power, and that is all I have ever wanted and my goal in life . . . If I become leader, I will bear responsibility, which I'm so scared of . . . But if I don't become leader, can I _survive_? Will I be able to bear the shame of refusing such an offer?_

The time seemed to slip slowly by, as the entire company held their breath, waiting for Air's response. But eventually, her voice quieter than a breeze, she mewed, "Yes. . . . I swear."

Starfire let loose a long, rich howl, full of unhidden joy and somehow renewed. The sound of it made Light shiver in her pelt—it was mystical, lonely, unearthly, and energizing all at the same time.

And somehow, inexplicably, in that one howl, Starfire Ignistella let the world know that the Clans had taken their first steps to becoming the Clans.

* * *

Spiranos knew he could not leave without telling Opis at least. So right after he had prepared his traveling, strengthening, and other various useful herbs, he left for her leader's cave immediately.

"The Spirit pack told you this." Her voice was flat, but it seemed to Spiranos that she was asking for confirmation. He watched for any body language that might give Opis away, but not a hair twitched on her curled-up form on the animal skin.

"Yes . . ."

"Then you shall—_must_—go," sighed the leader wearily, closing her eyes and resting her chin on her paws. "I cannot stop the Spirit pack's will, nor that of fate or destiny's. I will have Raunos replace you for now. . . . At least he has some experience with herbs and illness."

Spiranos nodded briskly, unsure of what to say. "I thank you," he managed after a silence. Opis smiled slightly, but it was mirthless and did not reach her eyes. "It is the least I can do in this time of trouble, Starwolf Spiranos. May your path be always straight and ever lit by stars."

"And your own path as well," responded Spiranos, bowing his head deeply. Opis's tail twitched, dismissing him.

He sped away from the wolf packs in the sun of winter, not looking back but wondering where his path would lead him.

* * *

_"You lied to me, Darkforest!"_

Relic glared as ferociously as she could at the dark silver wolf, but couldn't muster enough courage as the wolf grinned, his fangs glinting in the twilight of the Dark Forest. "Oh? Indeed I did not, Relic. I only told you that you _may_ achieve the power you lust for—not that I guaranteed it."

Relic snarled and tensed her muscles, preparing to leap onto Darkforest. But he only snorted and his image wavered, and the next thing Relic knew, the wolf stood behind her. "You cannot defeat me by means of strength or combat. When will you learn?"

"I—I—" Relic faltered, then snarled again. "You had nothing to teach me!" But she didn't dare attack.

"Oh, I did not?" Darkforest's eyes widened in amusement and he barked a laugh. "Very well. Shall I compile a list for your eyes to see? _Eyes that I gave my own power to?_" In a heartbeat Darkforest's light, amused tone changed to a low, threatening one, and Relic suddenly found his nose less than a whisker's length from hers. "You, Relic, had always been slow. At first I thought you were promising, one worthy of my power and my knowledge. Now I see that I was a fool."

"No, you weren't," retorted Relic, seemingly unaffected by the fact that Darkforest's sharp teeth were only _that_ far from her face. "I'll prove it, Darkforest Tenebrilva! I will! Just give me one more chance, and I'll prove it!"

Darkforest growled frustratedly and withdrew his snout. "You _have_ no more chances left, Relic!" Then he paused, his eyes thoughtful. Relic's own bright blue eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Well, I suppose you do have more chances left," said Darkforest slowly and reluctantly. "I do?" For a moment Relic was surprised. The she purred darkly. "Of course I do! I'll take the world by storm and—"

_"Will you ever be quiet!"_ snarled Darkforest. Relic fell silent immediately. "Now listen, you idiotic cat. Your only chances rest with becoming the guiding voices of those who you assist into power. . . . In a manner, similar to what I attempted with you."

"But that's—that's not . . ." Relic stopped herself quickly as Darkforest's gleaming green brown-flecked eyes focused on her. "Oh, do go on, please." He growled, his eyes narrowing. "I would dearly _love_ to hear what you have to say, you _failure_."

Relic didn't answer. It wasn't the "you failure" part that made her silent—it was the menace in her mentor's voice and the consequences of what she'd been about to say. . . . And the fact that Darkforest could read minds.

"Very well then," sighed Darkforest, shaking his head. "You do realize it is useless to hide from me." It wasn't a question—learning and training with Darkforest had taught Relic that.

"I know, Darkforest Tenebrilva."

_"Then do not try!"_ With that, Darkforest vanished.

* * *

_Try and try and try again . . . you know the what but not the when . . .  
_

Spiranos stopped suddenly, the words vibrating in his mind: _Try and try and try again . . . you know the what but not the when . . ._

He shook his head briskly, trying to clear it of the strange words. Then he realized, with a shock, that it was Yronous's voice contacting him from the Spirit pack.

_Try and try and try again . . . you know the what but not the when . . ._

Glancing around him, Spiranos decided to settle for the night. He had stopped at a small pond far from the pack territories. It was surrounded by willows like the ones he and the starwolves had hidden in in the territory of the Deathclaw pack and all was silent, except the sounds of the night creatures.

Spiranos stared into the pond, ignoring the pain in his shoulders from running all day and also carrying his bundle of herbs and supplies. It was tempting to contact the Spirit pack here, but he did not dare do so out in the open like this.

___Try and try and try again . . . you know the what but not the when . . ._

Spiranos sighed heavily. This prophecy would have to be a self-fulfilling one.

* * *

**I am a seriously slow updater, aren't I? /)(\**** Well, hopefully—_hopefully!_—it'll get better when summer starts (last day of school for me: May twenty-first! 8D). Seeing as I've so much to do lately, I'm not sure just how much better.**

**Yeah, Windstar being Air was the first plot twist I thought of while making up this plot bunny . . . no idea why. Maybe because Windstar's my favorite character, and I wanted her to have some sort of craziness. :P All the others started out on the good side. (Which will come in handy later: More plot twists planned! :D)**

**Another thing. _"____Try and try and try again . . . you know the what but not the when . . ._" comes from Suzanne Collins's _Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods_, except slightly altered (in _Curse of the Warmbloods_, it wasn't "try," but rather "turn"). So not exactly copyrighting. XP**

**. . . You know reviews make my day! 8D (People who don't read the bold: To the Dark Forest with you!)**


	8. Seven: Far

_Try and try and try again . . . you know the what but not the when . . ._

Spiranos shook his head furiously. He wished with all his heart that Yronous and the rest of the Spirit pack would be more clear with him. He had had a restless week of press-paw traveling, filled with nightmares of himself trying to stop the plague and horribly failing at the last moment and endless fatigue.

And there was not the breath of a word from the Spirit pack. . . . Well, except:

_Try and try and try again . . . you know the what but not the when . . ._

Spiranos growled, finally losing his patience. "If you wish to tell me something, be direct!"

And then he realized where he was. _By the Spirits . . . what in the name of Yronous is this?!_

_You have arrived, Spiranos,_ said the voice of the Spirit pack. _Say hello to__ your descendants._

* * *

"Do you _honestly_ believe this is going to work?"

Light—now Spiritlight—only gritted her teeth and glared at the other cat. "Well, if you don't think so, get out of here and go right back to the humans! Who knows, they might even turn you into a worthless, lazy _kittypet_!"

She was tired of this. Tired of all the questions, like "How on earth are we going to live with _them_?" and "Is it even possible to live in a group and hunt and act like wild cats when we're not?" and, most of all, "Why should we trust _you_?"

Tired.

The whole Clan arrangement didn't get along well with most of the cats. Sure, some of them liked it, but they were still incredibly wary of the other group. The New Hope and the Remnants would probably never fully trust each other. It would take time for that, and lots of it.

As soon as Starfire had let loose her howl, she had vanished. There was no show; she just vanished. Spiritlight knew she had entered the void, as she said she would once the Clans began.

But as for the Clans themselves . . . Spiritlight was incredibly doubtful.

For one, there was the whole New-Hope-versus-Remnants-suspicion thing. And then there was also the fact that this was something new to all of them, so none of them knew what to do and everyone grudgingly turned to Spiritlight for help. . . . And, somehow, shockingly, Spiritlight knew exactly what to do. But that didn't mean they didn't doubt her.

First, there were the traits of each Clan she had to establish. WindClan, the swift, lovers of the open; ThunderClan, the fighters, hunters of the forest; SkyClan, the leapers, squirrels among the trees; RiverClan, the swimmers, fishers of the waters; and ShadowClan, the night-dwellers, stalkers of the dark.

And that was only the beginning.

Boundaries and rules and traits were one thing; they were solid and could be seen, recognized. But there was also the problem of beliefs. None of the cats could agree on anything, much less share one belief.

_Unless,_ Spiritlight had thought, _We create a new one._

So the ways of Clan life was the only thing left now. What would be the order? Was there going to _be_ one? How would they all support one another?

Spiritlight growled and shook her head. Too many questions and too many answers to be found. It was impossible.

And even more impossible were the leaders themselves. Of course, the New-Hope-Remnants rivalry hadn't died down with the making of the Clans—it had increased tenfold.

"Spiritlight?" It was Opal. Spiritlight sighed with relief. The one cat who didn't come to her demanding answers and solutions.

"I'm here." Opal stepped into the clearing that was formed by the surrounding four trees, where Spiritlight was living, not part of any Clan and on neutral ground.

"I just wanted to let you know that you've done really well, doing all this." Spiritlight blinked in surprise, but Opal went on. "Creating the Clans—creating a new _life_—shouldn't be the responsibility of just one cat, but . . . here you are. And I thought I might give you some help in making order and so on. I've been to all the camps and, well, it's not exactly pretty."

"Was all this _ever_ 'pretty'?" sighed Spiritlight. "Go on, then."

"Well, for one, Windstar's been making trouble." Opal winced. "She attacked me before I told her I was just observing and Riverstar told me he caught her trying to get to here to attack you. She wasn't in her right mind, he said, rambling about Relic and how they were like sisters and that it was your fault she died."

Spiritlight's insides tightened at the word "sisters." Windstar was never even related to Relic; _she_ was. But Relic had decided that Light was no longer fit to be her sibling and decided to replace her with another. Almost as though it were a position.

Opal sensed Spiritlight's distress and settled down next to her with a sigh. "Don't worry about it, Spiritlight. What's happened, happened, and we can't change it. All we can do right now is make the Clan ways as best we can. All right?"

Spiritlight finally lifted her head and nodded.

"So," said Opal, "since we already have leaders we might as well have a position right under it. D'you like the sound of deputy?" Spiritlight nodded again, listlessly. "Then we should have some kind of cats like Petal and Leaf. Those two worked miracles, and I don't see why that shouldn't be encouraged in a Clan. Healing skills will be needed if there's conflict, and there's _always_ conflict."

He realized that Spiritlight was paying little to no attention to him. "Spiritlight, should I just work out the whole thing myself?" he asked softly.

Spiritlight nodded again. "Do that," she said quietly. "And thank you. I need to . . . I need to think. Far away from here."

Opal stood with her. "Go ahead. I'll stay here and make sure everything's fine. Just make sure you come back tomorrow sometime, okay? And don't leave too long. You'll worry me."

Spiritlight flicked her tail. "Worry _you_? You must be joking. . . . But, yes, I won't be that long. Don't worry about me too much."

* * *

_How did I get here?  
_

Spiritlight stared at the darkness pressing in around her. _How did I get here? I didn't think I'd gone so far . . . _

She looked up, trying to find an exit. There above her was a gap in the ceiling, giving her a view of a patch of sky and a few stars. Oh, and the round disc of the moon, glowing brightly.

_Spiritlight! You've come!_

The voice was so familiar that Spiritlight gasped before whirling around. "Who's there?" she asked sharply. "Show yourself!"

_Spiritlight, listen to me. . . . You have to find the stone. . . . It's right in front of you, but . . . you'll only see it when . . . the moon moves . . . to shine on it. . . . Then you . . . you . . .  
_

The voice faded.

Spiritlight clenched her jaw furiously. _Who did the voice belong to?_ She thought it was very familiar, as though she'd heard it almost every day, but she still couldn't place it at all . . .

_The least I can do, then,_ she thought to herself, _is do as they told me. So there's a stone and I have to wait till the moonlight hits it. . . . I can do that. Easy compared to everything _else _I'd had to d__o so far. _She settled onto the floor with her muzzle on her paws, waiting.

And then she jumped up with a yowl and stumbled back in awe.

The "stone" was glowing brightly, just as bright (if not brighter) than the artificial sun-lights the humans used. It was a beautiful crystal growing straight out of the rock floor and shone blue-white like stars.

Spiritlight stared at it for a few moments, then, drawn by some unknown instinct, padded to it and touched her nose to the smooth surface.

* * *

"I guess that'll work," said Skystar dubiously. "It sounds reasonable."

Opal glanced at the other leaders. "And the rest of you?"

The others nodded slowly, although Windstar looked suspicious and Shadowstar was watching everyone through wary, slitted eyes.

"It's settled then," declared Opal. "Report to me and Spiritlight tomorrow to tell me who your deputies are. And thanks for sticking with our plan, even though I don't know if it's well-developed enough to called a 'plan.'"

The leaders only exchanged glances and then left.

_I have a feeling that none of them really believe in it, but they know it's the only way to survive,_ thought Opal, sighing to himself.

_Oh Spiritlight . . . I hope this whole Clan thing works, because if it doesn't, we'll tear ourselves to shreds!_

* * *

"This is ridiculous," muttered Sunny. "I think Light's just trying to get power for herself."

Spirit turned on his sister. "Sunny, that's _not_ true and we both know it! Light's never wanted real power—she just wants to lead us out of trouble, as she's always done."

Roan sighed. "I agree with Spirit. Light—well, really, we should call her Spiritlight now—has never, ever been the power-hungry type. I should know; Opal _is_ my brother."

"True, but—"

"Thunderstar! Thunderstar!" The yowl was heard all through the camp. "Thunderstar, there's a monster coming!"

Spirit, Roan, and Sunny all exchanged glances, then stepped out into the clearing.

There stood a panting, wide-eyed _thing_. It was similar to a cat, really, but larger with a longer face, legs, and ears. Its pelt was silver and its green eyes roved around the camp, taking in the cats put in ThunderClan.

Then it caught the flashing eyes of Thunderstar and it lowered its head.

"The Spirit pack has led me here," it said.

* * *

**I have completely _abandoned_ this story, haven't I . . .  
**

**Well, I do rather plan on getting this story done sometime this summer. Which, now that I think about it, won't last long because where I go we start school in early August. . . . Oi.**

**Since this story doesn't have as many readers anyway, I think I'll take it slow. In other words, I'll be focusing more on _When Truth and Lies Are One_, _A Very Twisted Rithmere Games_, etc. By the way, if you'd like to read a Warriors short story that I'm writing, check out _Belonging Only to the Wild_! ;D You won't be disappointed, I promise!**

**Review! :)**


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